17. CONDUCT AFTER RAMADAN
Prof. Dr. Mahmud Es'ad COSAN
Aùzu bi’llâhi mine’sh-shaytàni/r-rajîm.
I seek refuge with Allah against Satan
Bi’smi’llâhi’r-rahmâni’r-rahîm.
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Mercy-giving
El-hamdu li’llâhi rabbi’l-àlemîne hamden kethîran tayyiben
mubâreken fîh... Kemâ yenbaghî lijelâli wajhihî wa li-azîmi
sultânih... Wa’s-salâtu wa’s-selâmu alâ seyyidinâ muhammedin wa âlihî wa sahbihî wa men tebiahû bi-ihsânin ejma'în.
Praise is due to Allah, The Lord of the Universe. The Prayers
and peace be on our beloved Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions and his sincere followers till the day of Resurrection.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
May the Peace, Mercy, Abundance, Grace, blessings, and treats
of Allah be with you. On this day of Eid al-Fitr, I pray that Allah
subhanahû wa ta'âlâ places you among His forgiven servants. May he make us happy servants who receive the mercy of Allah.
a. Failing to Benefit from Ramadhan
As he was praising the month of Ramadhan, the Prophet SAS said:63
فَإِن الشَّـقِيَّ، مَنْ حُرِمَ فِيهِ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
63 Taberânî, Müsnedü’ş-Şâmiyyîn, c.III, s.271, no:2238; Ubâde ibn-i Sâmit RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.VIII, s.749, no:23691, Mecmaü’z-Zevâid, c.III, s.344, no:4783; Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.I, s.158, no:255; Münzirî, et-Tergîb, c.II, s.60, no:1490.
(طب عن عبادة بن الصامت)
(Fein-nesh-shaqiyya men harume fîhî rahmetu’llàhi azze wa jelle) This is such a blessed month that is full of abundance and goodness. Almighty Allah sends His mercy on all, forgives the offences, and accepts prayers in this month. He asks His angels to look at His servants who do worship as if they are in a competition
to earn rewards: "Look at My servants how they are trying to worship Me!" While the gates of mercy is opened, the gates of heavens are opened, the angels are praying for the servants, Satans
are chained, and while there are many possibilities to do good
deeds, if a person does not benefit anything from these good deeds
that person is a true rebel (shaqî). "The true rebel is the person who is deprived of the good deeds and mercy of Allah in this month."
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'alâ save us from being among those
who are deprived of the mercy of Allah. May Allah grants us a portion of His mercy in this month.
b. Rewards for Fasting
A month in which there is a night which is better than a thousand months has gone. We have fasted in this month. The Prophet of Allah praised fasting:64
مَا مِنْ عَبْد أَصْبَحَ صَائِمًا إِ لاَّ فُتِحَتْ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَ اءِ، وَسَـبَّحَتْ
أَعْضَاؤُهُ، وَاسْتَغْ فَرَلَهُ أَهْ لُ السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَ ا إِ لٰى أَنْ تَوَارٰى بِ الْحِجَابِ.
64 Taberânî, Mu’cemü’l-Evsat, c.VII, s.368, no:7749; Taberânî, Mu’cemü’s- Sağîr, c.II, s.92, no:840; Beyhakî, Şuabü’l-İman, c.III, s.299, no:3591; İbn-i Hacer, Lisânü’l-Mîzân, c.II, s.101, no:410; İbn-i Adiy, Kâmil fi’d-Duafâ, c.II, s.123, no:330; İbnü’l-Cevzî, el-İlelü’l-Mütenâhiyye, c.II, s.546, no:897; Hz. Aişe RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.VIII, s.720, no:23630.
فَإِنْ صَلَّى رَكْعَةً أَوْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ أَضَاءَتْ لَهُ السَّمٰوَاتِ نُورًا وَقُلْ نَ أَزْوَاجهُ
مِنَ الْحُورِ الْعِينِ: اَللَّهُمَّ اقـْبـِضْ ـهُ إِ لَـينَ ا، فَقَدِ اشـْتَقْـنَ ا إِلٰى رُؤْيَتِهِ . وَ إ ن
هَلَّلَ أَوْ سَبَّحَ أَوْ كَـبَّـرَ، تَلْ ـقَاهُ سَبْعُونَ أَلـْفَ مَلَك يَكْتُبُونَ ثـَ وَابـَهَا إِ لٰى
أَنْ تَوَارٰ ى بِالْحِجَابِ (عد. قط. في الأفراد، هب. عن عائشة)
(Mâ min abdin asbaha sàimen) "There is no servant of Allah
who is fasting in the morning..." The fasting here could refer to the obligatory fasting in Ramadhan as well as to the voluntary fasting
in other times--Allah knows the best. (illâ futihat lehû ebwâbus
semâ') "... for whom then gates of the heavens are not opened." That
means, Almighty Allah opens the gates of heavens for a person who is fasting.
(Wa sebbehat a'dàuhû) "All of the body organs of the person who is fasting praise and glorify Allah Almighty. (Wastaghfera lehû ehlus semâid dunyâ ilâ en tewârâ bil hijâb) Everything in the heavens and on earth asks forgiveness for that person until the sun goes down."
(Fe-in sallâ rak'aten aw rak'ateyni) "When a fasting person
offers one or two units of formal prayer, (edàet lehus semâwâti nûrâ) the heavens will pread light for him. (Wa qulne ezwâjuhû minel
hûril 'iyn) His wives from the paradise say: (Allàhumme aqbidhu
ileynâ) 'O Allah, let him be ours, bring him to us; (feqad ishteknâ ilâ ru'yetihî) we desire to be seen by him.'"
(Wa in hellele aw sebbeha aw kebbera telqàhu seb'ûne elfe melekin yektubûne thewâbehâ ilâ en tewârâ bil hijâb) "If the fasting
person says 'Lâ ilâhe illallah,' 'Subhânallah' or 'Allahu akbar,' seventy thousand angels come to him, greet him and register the rewards till the sun goes down." We have lived such blessed month
of Ramadhan. This hadith had been reported by Hadrat Aisha RA.
c. Three People to be Humiliated
According to Abû Hurayra, the Prophet said:65
رَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُل ذُكِرْتُ عِنْدَهُ، فَلَمْ يَصَلِّ عَلَيَّ؛ وَرَغِمَ أنْفُ رَجُل
دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَمَضَانُ، ثُمَّ انْسَلَخَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُغْفَرَ لَهُ ؛ وَرغِمَ أنْفُ رَجُل
أَدْرَكَ عِنْدَهُ أَبَوَاهُ الكِبَرَ، فَلَمْ يُدْخِلاهُ الجَنَّةَ (ت . حسن
غريب، حب. ك. عن أبي هريرة)
RE. 291/5 (Raghime enfu rajulun dhekertu indehû felem yusallî
aleyye) "May the person be humiliated who fails to say salawat
when my name is mentioned!"
Allàhumme salli alâ seyyidinâ muhammedin wa âlihî wa sahbihî wa men tebiahû bi-ihsânin salâten wa selâmen dâimeyni
mutelâzimeyni ilâ yewmi’d-dîn...
We must say salawat and prayers for our beloved Prophet SAS every time we hear his name. The first reason is the fact that our faith requires the love of the prophet. Without the love and loyalty
for the Prophet SAS, without following his Sunnah, it is not possible
for a person to advance spiritually. In a similar way, in Tasawwuf,
a dervish must have love for his shaikh.
The hadith continues:
وَرَغِمَ أنْفُ رَجُل دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَمَضَانُ ، ثُمَّ انْسَلَخَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُغْفَرَ لَهُ ؛
65 Tirmizî, Sünen, c.XI, s.455, no:3468; Ahmed ibn-i Hanbel, Müsned, c.II, s.254, no:7444; Bezzâr, Müsned, c.II, s.437, no:8465; Ebû Hüreyre RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.I, s.489, no:2148; Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.XIII, s.136, no:12755.
(Wa raghime enfu rajulun dakhale aleyhi ramadàn, thummen
salâkha qable en yughfera lehû) "May the person be humiliated who fails to benefit from Ramadhan and who fails to receive forgiveness
in that month!" Such a person would be in a terrible state.
وَرغِمَ أنْفُ رَجُل أَدْرَكَ عِنْدَهُ أَبَوَاهُ الكِبَرَ، فَلَمْ يُدْخِلاهُ الجَنَّةَ .
(Wa raghime enfu rajulun edrake 'indehû ebewâhu’l-kibera
felem yudkhilâhu’l-jennete) "May the person be humiliated who had his parents get old while they are with him and he fails to earn
Paradise by serving them."
This hadith indicates how valuable a time Ramadhan is. It also indicates the importance of saying salawat when the name of the Prophet SAS is mentioned and serving the parents.
We had seen some ahadith that stated that a Hajj is expiation
for the offences since the previous Hajj. The same thing is true for Ramadhan: It is expiation for the offences since the previous
Ramadhan. That means the offences committed in the previous
year are forgiven in Ramadhan. Likewise, a Friday (prayer) is expiation for the offences committed after the previous Friday
Prayer.
The Mercy of Allah is so encompassing; if it were not, then it would be impossible for anyone to enter Paradise despite all of the offences and shortcomings. Allah creates causes to forgive His servants to place them in His Paradise to reward them with His beauty.
d. Departure after Ramadhan’s Fasting
In another hadith, the Prophet SAS said:66
مَنْ حَجَّ وَاعْتَ مَرَ فَمَاتَ مِنْ سَنَتِهِ دَخَلَ الْجَـنَّةَ، وَمَن صَامَ رَمَضَ انَ ثُمَّ
مَاتَ دَخَلَ الْجَـنَّةَ، وَمَنْ غَزَا فَمَاتَ مِنْ سَنَتِهِ دَخَلَ الْجَـنَّةَ (الديلمى عن أبي سعيد)
RE. 417/1 (Men hajje wa'temara femâte min senetihî dakhale’l- jenneh) "Whoever performs Hajj or umrah and dies in the same
year, he will enter Paradise." It is because the Hajj and Umrah are expiations for offences and cleansing from spiritual dirt.
(Wa men sàme ramadàne thumme mâte dakhalel jenneh) "Whoever fasts in Ramadan and dies afterwards, he enters
Paradise."
(Wa men ghazâ femâte min senetihî dakhalel jenneh) "Whoever
participates in a battle for jihad and dies in the same year, he enters
Paradise."
This hadith, too, indicates importance and value of Ramadhan.
Although Ramadhan for this year is over, I will say few other
66 Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.V, s.15, no:11846.
ahadith that point the importance of Ramadhan. You may remember later on:67
مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ، فَعَرَفَ حُدُودَهُ، وَيَتَحَفَّظَ مِ مَّا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ
يَتَحَفَّظَ مِنْهُ ، كَ فَّرَ مَا قَبْلَهُ (حم. ع. حب. حل. هب. ق. ض. عن أبي سعيد)
RE. 426/2 (Men sàme ramadàne fe'arafa hudûhehû wa haffazahû mimmâ yenbaghî en yutehaffaza minhu kufire mâ qablehû) "Whoever fasts in Ramadhan and observe the limits of Ramadhan and fasting, his previous sins will be forgiven."
That means a person should observe the limits of fasting. What
are the conditions of fasting?
e. Five Things to Cancel the Reward of Fasting
The Prophet SAS said:68
خَمْسٌ يُفَطِّرْنَ الصَّائِمَ: اَ لْكَذِبُ، وَالْغِيْبَةُ، وَالنَّمِيمَةُ، وَالنَّظَرُ
67 Ahmed ibn-i Hanbel, Müsned, c.III, s.55, no:11541; İbn-i Hibbân, Sahîh, c.VIII, s.219, no:3433; Ebû Ya’lâ, Müsned, c.II, s.322, no:1058; Beyhakî, Şuabü’l- İman, c.III, s.310, no:3623; Beyhakî, Sünenü’l-Kübrâ, c.IV, s.304, no:8288; Ebû Nuaym, Hilyetü’l-Evliyâ, c.VIII, s.180; Hatîb-i Bağdâdî, Târih-i Bağdad, c.VIII, s.392, no:4496; Ebû Saîd el-Hudrî RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.VIII, s.761, no:23727; Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.XX, s.459, no:22613.
68 İbn-i Hacer, Lisânü’l-Mîzân, c.II, s.86, no:347; Deylemî, Müsnedü’l-Firdevs, c.II, s.197, no:2979; İbn-i Ebî Hàtim, İlel, c.I, s.258, no:766; Enes ibn-i Mâlik RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.VIII, s.752, no:23813 ve s.795, no:23820; Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.XII, s.318, no:11993; RE. 279/7.
بِالشَّهْوَةِ، وَالْيَمِينُ الْكَاذِبَةِ (الديلمي عن أنس)
RE. 279/7 (Khamsun yuftirne’s-sàim) "Five things eliminate
the rewards of fasting as though a person ate something:
1. (El-kezibu) Telling lies 2. (Wa’l-ghiybatu) Talking about a person who is not present.
Saying bad things about a person even if they were true.
3. (Wa’n-nemîmetu) Backbiting and spreading bad news among
people.
4. (Wa’n-nazaru bi-shahwatun) Looking at a person with lustful
eyes 5. (Wa’l-yemînu’l-kâzibeh) Swearing that what he says is true despite the fact it is not." People are used to uttering words
"Wallàhi... Billâhi... Tallàhi..." That is not right! It destroys the rewards of fasting.
f. Rewards of I’tikâf in Ramadhan
The person who is fasting is supposed to control his nafs, correct
his manners, and be careful about his words. If all of these are observed, then the fasting will wipe out his previous sins and earn
the person the mercy and forgiveness of Allah.
There is also the Night of Power in Ramadhan that various
ahadith state that it is one of the nights of the last ten days of Ramadhan. The exact day is hidden, yet the Prophet SAS suggested we search for the last ten days of Ramadhan. To be a good
example, he stayed in the masjid day and night for the last ten days
of Ramadhan. He ate his food there, slept there and he worshipped
there. He stated in a hadith that when a person waits in the masjid
for the prayer, he will earn rewards as though he is in prayer.
We are sitting and waiting here for the Eid-al-Fitr prayer.
While we wait, we are in the presence of Almighty Allah as though
we are offering our prayer with bowing and prostration. We earn
rewards because we are waiting for the Eid prayer. Each person
receives that reward.
A person who is in i'tikâf, receives the rewards as long as he stays in the masjid regardless of the fact that he offers prayers,
recite Qur'an, do dhikr, or sleep in the masjid.
For this reason the Prophet SAS said:69
اعْتِكَافُ عَشْر فِي رَمَضَ انَ، كَحَجَّتَيْنِ وعُمْرَتَيْنِ (طب. عن علي بن حسين عن أبيه)
RE. 74/1 (I'tikâfu ashrin fî ramadàni kehajjeteyni wa umreteyni) It is such a great reward. May Almighty Allah give the opportunity next Ramadan for those who have missed i'tikâf this year. May He reward those who practiced i'tikâf with great
rewards. I could not pass this great news that I have seen while I was searching the ahadith. The prophet said: "There is the reward
of two Hajjs and two umrahs for those who practiced i'tikâf for the last ten days of Ramadhan." It is the double reward of Hajj and Umrah.
How nice to be on the path to Allah and to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet SAS.
g. Reward of Fasting Six Days in Shawwal
You know that Ramadhan has ended. It is Eid-al-Fitr today.
Soon we are going to perform the Eid prayer. The month we are in is Shawwal. It is the Arabic lunar month that follows Ramadhan.
In the hadith, the Prophet said:70
69 Taberânî, Mu’cemü’l-Kebîr, c.III, s.128, no:2888; Hz. Hüseyin RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.VIII, s.864, no:24008; Mecmaü’z-Zevâid, c.III, s.404, no:5025.
70 Müslim, Sahîh, c.II, s.822, no:1164; Tirmizî, Sünen, c.III, s.132, no:759; İbn- i Mâce, Sünen, c.I, s.547, no:1716; Ahmed ibn-i Hanbel, Müsned, c.V, s.417, no:23580; Taberânî, Mu’cemü’l-Kebîr, c.IV, s.134, no:3902; Taberânî, Mu’cemü’l- Evsat, c.V, s.49, no:4640; Beyhakî, Şuabü’l-İman, c.III, s.347, no:3730; Beyhakî,
مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ، وَأَتْبَعَهُ سِتًّا مِنْ شَوَّال ، كَانَ كَصَوْمِ الدَّهْرِ (ط. حم. م. د. ن. ت. ه. حب. عن أبي أيوب؛ بر. هب. عن ثوبان)
RE. 425/11 (Men sàme ramadàne wa etbe'ahû sitten min shawwâle kâne kesawmi’d-dehr) "If a person fasts throughout
Ramadhan and adds 6 days of fasting from the month of Shawwal,
it will be like fasting the entire year without any break. The six days from Shawwal can be back to back or otherwise. It is not allowed to fast on the day of the Eid because it is a day of festivities
and celebration. One could fast on other days of Shawwal.
Here is an explanation: Ramadhan is 30 days, Almighty Allah
rewards it 10 times; that would make 300 days. Additional six days
will make 60 days. That means a person could earn rewards for 360 days, i.e., one year. We shall fast six days in Shawwal inshaAllah.
There is a hadith in the collection of Ahmed ibn-i Hanbel about
fasting in Shawwal. It is also included in the collections of Muslim,
Abû Dawûd, Nasa'î, Tirmidhî, Ibn-i Majah, and Ibn-i Hibbân. It was related by Abû Ayyûb-- most likely Hadrat Abû Ayyûb al-
Sünenü’l-Kübrâ, c.IV, s.292, no:8214; Neseî, Sünenü’l-Kübrâ, c.II, s.163; Abdü’r- Rezzak, Musannef, c.IV, s.315, no:7918; Hamîdî, Müsned, c.I, s.188, no:380; Tahàvî, Müşkilü’l-Âsâr, c.V, s.321, no:1944; İbn-i Asâkir, Mu’cem, c.I, s.98, no:178; Begavî, Şerhü’s-Sünneh, c.III, s.272; Ebû Avâne, Müsned, c.II, s.168, no:2696; İbn- i Esîr, Üsdü’l-Gàbe, c.I, s.1142; Hatîb-i Bağdâdî, Târih-i Bağdad, c.III, s.57, no:1002; Mizzî, Tehzîbü’l-Kemâl, c.XXI, s.284, no:4207; Ebû Eyyûb el-Ensàrî RA’dan.
Ahmed ibn-i Hanbel, Müsned, c.III, s.308, no:14341; Beyhakî, Sünenü’l-Kübrâ, c.IV, s.292, no:8215; Tahàvî, Müşkilü’l-Âsâr, c.V, s.326, no:1949; Hàris, Müsned, c.II, s.25, no:331; İbn-i Adiy, Kâmil fi’d-Duafâ, c.V, s.113; Câbir ibn-i Abdullah RA’dan.
İbn-i Hibbân, Sahîh, c.VIII, s.398, no:3645; Beyhakî, Şuabü’l-İman, c.III; s.349, no:3735; Taberânî, Müsnedü’ş-Şâmiyyîn, c.I, s.278, no:485; Sevban RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.VIII, s.745, no:23680 ve 23681; Mecmaü’z-Zevâid, c.III, s.425, no:5103; Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.XX, s.460, no:22614.
Ansârî who is buried in Istanbul--Allah knows best.
We should fast six days of Shawwal! It is an authentic hadith
included in reliable hadith collections. There is a verse in the Qur'an:
فَاِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْ. وَ اِلٰى رَبـِّكَ فَارْغَبْ
(الانشرح:٧-٨)
(Fe-idhâ feraghte fensab, wa ilâ rabbike ferghab) [So when you have finished your duties, then stand up for worship. And to your Lord direct your longing (Qur'an 94:7-8). After a relaxation, a Muslim is supposed to make a new effort to do work. He will not get lazy, but attack again. The love and affection for Allah will not keep
him idle.
Ramadhan is over, so we make an attempt to fast the six days of Shawwal. We look forward to the next Ramadhan eagerly. We hope
that Almighty Allah rewards us for our love and affections towards
Ramadan and fasting as though we have fasted the whole year.
Since a person who waits for the prayer in the Mosque is rewarded
just as he were in prayer, we expect that Almighty Allah graciously
rewards the person who loves Ramadahan.
h. Maintain your Good State after Ramadhan, too!
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
We have left behind a blessed and valuable month. Now we are in a state of confusion: Shall we feel sorry for the fact that Ramadhan is over or shall we feel happy that it is Eid? Well,
Almighty Allah has declared this day as Eid-al-Fitr, so we should
be happy about it. Ramadhan is gone; we pray Allah that we see many Ramadhans in health and happiness. Our major task from
now on is to maintain the good characters and attributes that we acquired in Ramadhan.
How were we in Ramadhan? First of all, we could get up for
suhur meal. We could wake up from deep sleep. We should get used
to waking up. We should get up at the suhur time, offer two units
of prayers, then we could go to bed. Time of suhur --which is seher
in Arabic-- is a precious time in which the prayers are accepted.
Almighty Allah turns to the heavens of the earth and asks: "O My servants! If any of you wants something from Me, I will grant it. If anybody prays, I will answer his prayer. If anybody asks for forgiveness, I will forgive him." It is such a precious time.
You have got used to getting up at that precious time during the Ramadhan. I would like to see you maintain it. We would like to see your lights on at that precious time every day. We will think,
"Our brothers and sisters have got up to offer the night vigil prayer,
supplications and repentance." We shall maintain this habit.
The second thing is that we have fasted the Ramadhan. The Prophet SAS had some recommendations for fasting that I had stated a short while ago: no backbiting, no looking at haram, no telling lies. Sometimes a person seeks trouble by hitting his shoulder to your shoulder or screaming at you. Sometimes the person comes to your car and screams at the car. Allah subahanahu
wa ta'ala has many different servants in the town: some are with
good manners; some, without. If the person is looking for trouble,
we are going to say: "I am fasting! I am fasting!" We are supposed
to avoid the fight and arguing.
One could say: "How dare you come to me and say those things?
I can handle you easily. I am as strong as you are. I could beat you up!" However, the Prophet SAS did not approve it. He recommended that we stay calm and tolerant remembering our fasting. This is a difficult thing to do. "Since I am in a state of worship to Almighty Allah, I am not going to be level with you. I will be patient. I am not going to fight with you." That is what we shall do and maintain that attitude after Ramadhan, too. We quitted smoking in Ramadhan; we should not start smoking
again after Ramadhan. We practiced patience in Ramadhan saying
"Fe subhânallah... Lâ ilâhe illallah.. Lâ hawle wa lâ quwwate illâ
billâh..." We should maintain that state after the Ramadhan.
"Ramadhan is gone; the worship has ended" should not be our motto. We may not say: "We offered so much worship in Ramadhan,
and it is over now. We can head to the summer house, the beach,
and the entertainment places. There were so many haram things
that we could not do in Ramadhan; now we can do." If a person has this kind of thoughts, let him know that Allah did not accept his fasting in Ramadhan. There is a hadith about this. The sign of the acceptance of the worship throughout Ramadhan is the continuity
of the good things after Ramadhan. Pay attention to this, and maintain your good state after Ramadhan. That is the most
important task for us. There may be a vacation time ahead. Many of us will go to our home town, visit relatives and spend some time there. With the momentum and knowledge we acquired in Ramadhan, we should
teach our children about Islam and appreciate the vacation time.
When I am with the children and grandchildren, I realize that they need Islamic training and education. We seem to be just sitting with them. We should gather them around, read some
ahadith with them, explain them what it means, and ask them what
they understood. Often they find excuses: "I have work to do in the kitchen!"
لِكُلِّ شَيْء مَانِ ـعٌ وَلِلْ ـعِلْمِ مَ وَانـِ عٌ
(Likulli shey'in mâni'un wa li’l-ilmi mewâni'un) "Everything
has an obstacle, but when you try to learn something, the obstacles
come just like a hail storm."
"O my beloved wife. Have a seat. Let's do some prayers, dhikr.
Let's study some matters on Islam."
"I have to do ironing, and there is work in the kitchen."
We shall say: "Leave them for later. This is the study hour."
We shall make a schedule and have principles on these issues.
When we raise our children well, we keep earning rewards even
after we leave this life.
We all are going to die and leave this world. Some who were
with us last year are not here. We may not reach next Ramadhan.
May Allah have us leave this life with iman. Our children will keep
our book of deeds open and earn us rewards. They will pray for us, give for charities on our behalf, read Qur'an for us. They will offer
their daily prayers, recite Qur'an, do dhikr, perform Hajj, and do other good deeds. If we raise them well, Almighty Allah will write
rewards for our book of deeds.
I urge you to take advantage of the momentum that you have
acquired in Ramadhan and practice Islam with your family
members. We shall try to teach them Islam, too, in the vacation
time.
As I read these ahadith, something comes to my mind. I am sure you feel the same way: "O no! We could not appreciate Ramadhan
as we should have. We could not worship our Lord as we should.
We wish we tried better. I realize the greatness of fasting now. I wish I could do the i'tikâf in the masjid for ten days. I would be patient for ten days and get the rewards of two Hajjs and two Umrahs." I am sure you feel as I do. Well, Ramadhan is gone, so are the opportunities.
We are going to compare our lives to Ramadhan, too. The life will pass like that. We may wonder: "What is going to happen to me at the end of my life?"
Everybody will feel sorry for his life. At the last breath, the righteous servants will regret for not doing more and spending their
time for useless things. They will wish they had spent every
moment of their time in the way of Allah. That is how we will feel.
We shall appreciate our time and not waste it at all. Not even a moment of our time should be spent in vain. Either we should do dhikr by heart saying "Allah... Lâ ilâhe illâllah... Lâ hawle wa lâ quwwete illâ billâh... Subhânallah... Elhamdu lillâh... Allahu
akbar..." It is pointed by many ahadith in that direction. Or we can seek knowledge or teach; we may pursue a good deed. We can visit an ill person or go help somebody. We could respect an elderly, be nice to a younger one and try to train him in a good way.
We should not waste our time, for there will be a longing for each
passing moment. You have experienced that longing as Ramadhan
departed. At the end of your life, you will have that longing. We should try our best to spend our life in compliance with the consent
of Allah.
That is why our elderly stated: "A servant should be in a continuous state of dhikr (dhikr-i mudâm) so that each moment is considered as worship. For instance, the great walî Ibrahim Haqqi
Erzurumî stated in his Ma'rifetnâmah that the servant must be awaken from the sleep of unawareness and kept on dhikr-i mudâm.
The person should think about Allah and remember Allah all the time. When the heart is used to doing that, each moment of the person is considered as worship.
Yet another principle, recommended by our elderly in the Naqshî Tariqa, is "Khush der dem" to be awake at all times. A Muslim has to keep his guard and be aware just like a soldier on guard duty. A soldier on guard duty will not sleep because the enemy may attack when he falls asleep.
One of our friends is an officer in the military. He noticed that a soldier on guard duty fell asleep. He went and picked the gun of the soldier without saying a word. When the solder woke up, he realized that his gun was missing. He was desperate for so long.
That was his punishment so that he does not do the same thing.
The soldier should not fall asleep on guard duty.
May Allah almighty awaken all of us from the sleep of unawareness. May He make us as alert as soldiers on guard duty
who are vigilant, careful, and holding on to their guns.
i. Five Enemies of a Believer
We need to be in that state because there are all kinds of enemies around us. The Prophet SAS said: ki:71
اَلْمُؤْمِنُ بَيْنَ خَمْ ـسَ شَدَائِدَ: مُـؤْمِنٌ يَحْسُدُهُ، وَ مُ نَافِقٌ
يَبْغُضُهُ، وَكَافِرٌ يُقَاتِلُ هُ، وَنَفْ سٌ تُنَازِعُ هُ، وَشَيْطَانٌ يُضِلُّ هُ
71 Deylemî, Müsnedü’l-Firdevs, c.IV, s.176, no:6548; Enes ibn-i Mâlik RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.I, s.284, no:809; Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.XXII, s,96, no:24411.
(ابن لال عن أبان عن أنس(
RE. 231/11 (El-mu'minu beyne khamse shedâ-id) "There are five calamities around a Muslim:
1. (Mu'minun yahsuduhû) There are Muslims like him who are jealous of him and have a grudge for him. They could harm the believer. May Allah protect us from such envious persons.
It would not be possible to please an envious person. He will not be content with what is given to him. He would want you to lose what you have. That is why it is impossible to please the envious
person.
2. (Wa munâfiqun yubghizuhû) The second enemy is the hypocrites. They will smile at you, but they device plots against
you. They will try to stub you from your back. They would know
that you are strong. They cannot harm you when you look at them.
They will seek an opportunity to harm you. He is an enemy, too.
3. (Wa kâfirun yuqàtiluhû) The third enemy is the disbeliever
who fights with a believer. There are many disbelievers that have
declared war against the Muslims. We see that in all parts of the world. May Allah help Muslims. We shall ask good things for our Muslim brothers and sisters because we have fasted and Almighty
Allah says, "Ask things from Me, and I will grant it. Pray to Me, and I will answer your prayers."
May Almighty Allah grant the comfort and celebration we have
to all Muslims in the world. May He give them peace. May He give us means to liberate the lands that are occupied by enemies of Islam. May he grant victory to the mujahid brothers at the war fronts. May He free the Muslims from the oppressors in all parts of the world. May He grant freedom for the captive Muslims. May He grant honor and happiness for all Muslims in this life and in the hereafter.
4. (Wa nafsun yunâzi'uhû) We all have a nafs. It can be trained
and corrected.
إِن النَّفْسَ لأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلاَّ مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي (يوسف:٣٥)
(Innen nafsa le-emmaratun bis-sû-i illâ mâ rahime rabbî) If it is not trained, it will order the evil (Qur'an 12:53):
"Drink that wine, do this offense, give up the good things, take it easy, be lazy, neglect the prayers, do not pay zakah because your money will diminish..." The nafs orders evil things, so it is an enemy, too.
5. (Wa shaytànun yudilluhû) There is also an invisible enemy
outside. He is outside, but he can be in us like the blood circulating
in the veins. That is Satan. It gives people misgivings and doubts.
He recommends evil and leads the Muslim to hellfire.
Among all of these enemies, the Muslim seeks refuge with Allah.
إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَهُ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَلٰى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
(النحل:٩٩)
(Innehû leyse lehû sultànun 'alelledhîne âmenû wa alâ rabbihim yetewekkelûn) "Satan does not harm a believing servant
who has put his trust in his Lord" (Qur'an 16:99).
With the fasting and other worship, Almighty Allah provides the training for the believer. You must realize that we learned many
things in Ramadan including the controlling of the nafs. The nafs is trained like that; for the other enemies, we seek refuge with Allah
saying, "Hasbunallàhi wa ni'mel wakîl." No matter how many
enemies there are, when a person is a good servant to Allah, when
he puts his trust in Allah, Almighty Allah blesses him with blessings of this life and the hereafter.
May Allah make us true believers who believe and trust in Him sincerely and strongly. May He fill us our hearts with perfect belief.
May He eliminate all doubts from our hearts. May He fill our hearts
wit the love of our beloved Prophet SAS and Respect and Love for Allah. May he keep us on His straight path. May He place us among the happy servants who truly put their trust in Him.
Almighty Allah says:
ان الله يحبُّ المتوكلين (اۤل عمران:٩٥١)
(Inna’llàhe yuhibbu’l-mutewekkilîn) "Verily Allah loves those
who put their trust in Him" (Qur'an 3:159)
j. Three Things to Enjoy the Taste of Imân
There is also a famous hadith that I would like to remind you
about. This was one of the ahadith that I had selected for you. Since
it is almost time for the Eid prayer, I may not find time to read the other ahadith.
The Prophet SAS said: buyuruyor ki:72
ثَلاَثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ وَجَدَ حَلاَ وَةَ اْلإِيمَانِ: أَنْ يَكُونَ اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا، وَأَنْ يُحِبَّ الْمَرْءَ لاَ يُحِبُّهُ إِلاَّ للهَِِّ ، وَأَنْ
يَكْرَهَ أَنْ يَعُودَ فِي الْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ أَنْقَذَهُ اللهَُّ مِنْهُ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ
يُلْقَى فِي النَّارِ (خ. م. ن. حم. عن أنس)
(Thelâthun men kunne fîhi wejede halâwetel îmân) "There are three things that if a person has them, he will enjoy the taste of imân. He will be a perfect believer. Nobody could deviate him from
his path. He will continue advancing on the path to Allah:
1. (En yekûna’llahu wa rasûluhû ehabbu ileyhi mimmâ
siwâhumâ) "Allah and His Prophet SAS are dearer to him than
anything else." That is, we must love Allah and His Prophet SAS first; the rest is not significant. This is possible by removing the other loves from the heart. Love for property, wealth, children,
position and rank should be eliminated from the heart. He would
hold on to the love of Allah and His Prophet SAS.
2. (Wa en yuhibbe’l-mer'e lâ yuhibbuhû illâ li’llâh) "He will love
72 Buhàrî, Sahîh, c.I, s.35, no:20; Müslim, Sahîh, c.I, s.151, no:60; Neseî, Sünen, c.XV, s.170, no:4902: Ahmed ibn-i Hanbel, Müsned, c.III, s.248, no:13617;
İbn-i Hibbân, Sahîh, c.I, s.474, no:238; Taberânî, Mu’cemü’l-Evsat, c.II, s.34, no:1149; Beyhakî, Şuabü’l-İman, c.II, s.235, no:1623; Neseî, Sünenü’l-Kübrâ, c.V, s.527, no:11719; Ebû Ya’lâ, Müsned, c.V, s.440, no:3142; Taberânî, Müsnedü’ş- Şâmiyyîn, c.III, s.308, no:2349; Abdullah ibn-i Mübârek, Müsned, c.I, s.31, no:30; Enes ibn-i Mâlik RA’dan.
his Muslim brethren just for the sake of Allah." That love will not be based on the physical appearance, property or wealth. It should
be for Allah only.
We ought to learn this love. In fact, these Eid days are the time that joy overflows. We have to purge the bad feelings if we have
them for fellow Muslims. For the sake of the Eid, we should clear
our hearts from the simple matters, haughtiness, envy, pride,
anger, hatred and other ill feelings. We should love one another for Allah. Unless we establish this love, a person could not attain
perfection. We have to love one another for Allah.
We come to the Mosque, offer our prayers shoulder to shoulder,
yet our hearts are not as warm as they should have been. If we open
our hearts to one another with sincerity, things would be different.
May Allah grant us that love.
3. (Wa en yekrahe en yeûde fi’l-kufri baghde idh enqadhehu’llàhu
kemâ yekrahu en yulqà fi’n-nâr) "After being saved by Allah, a person should fear falling back into the disbelief and hellfire.
How does this hadith apply to us? We were in a different state
before Ramadhan. We corrected ourselves in Ramadhan, achieved
a pleasant state. Having acquired that state, we should be afraid
of falling back to our previous state as we would fear from falling in fire. "O no! That is wrong way! It is a path leading to the fire. It is the path of ignorance and confusion. It is a path of deviation. It is a path away from the worship. Following that path is like falling
in fire." That is how we are to avoid it. We have to stay away as though it were plague. We have to try to maintain our good state.
It is time for the Eid prayer. We should not delay it because
children at home are waiting for their fathers. In their pleasant
dresses, they want to meet their fathers and kiss their hands. They
want the Eid to begin. We should not delay their joy. Talking about
the ahadith is sweet, yet the Eid celebration is sweet, too. Let us offer our Eid prayer. May Allah accept your worship.
El-fâtihâh! ......
(Eid prayer is performed. Everybody congratulated the Eid by shaking hands. The following supplication is said while standing)
El-hamdu li’llâhi rabbi’l-âlemîn... Wa salla’llàhu alâ seyyidinâ
muhammedin wa âlihî wa sahbihî ejmaîn... Wa men tebi'ahû
bi'ihsânin ilâ yewmi’d-dîn...
Allàhumme innâ nes'eluke mine’l-khayri kullihî, àjilihî wa âjilihî, mâ alimnâ minhâ wa mâ lem na'lem... Wa neùzubike
mine’sh-sherri kullihî, àjilihî wa âjilihî, mâ alimnâ minhâ wa mâ lem na'lem...
Allàhumme’rhamnâ... Allàhumme’rham ummete muhammedin
rahmeten àmmeh...
Allàhumme innâ nes'eluke fewâtiha’l-khayri wa hawâtimeh...
Wa jewâmi'ahû wa ewwelehû wa âkhirehû wa zàhirahû wa bâtineh... Wad derejâti’l-ûlâ mine’l-jenneh...
May Almighty Allah grant all of us His mercy, forgiveness, and contentment. May He grant us the rewards of the Night of Power
as we experienced the moth of Ramadhan. May he grant us many
Ramadhans in heath and happiness. May He keep His assistance
and guidance with us in dhikr, thankfulness, and good deeds for Him.
May He grant us a happy Eid. As He let us live for this Eid, may he give us many Eids in health and happiness.
May he bless the entire nation of Prophet Muhammed SAS. May He make us victorious over the disbelievers. May He give us all of the good things in this life and in the hereafter for the sake of the Ramadhan, the Night of Power and the Day of Eid. May He protect
us continuously from the all kinds of evils and harm -- be they familiar or unfamiliar to us. May he make it easier for each of us to depart from this life with
perfect imân as one of His beloved servants whom He is pleased
with.
Bihurmeti esmâihi’l-husnâ, wa habîbihi’l-mujtebâ muham- medeni’l-mustafâ...
(Halil Necati Cosan added)
"Taqabbel minnâ bi-hurmeti seyyidi’l-murselîn wa bi-hurmeti
esrâri sûrati’l-fâtihah! "
June 20, 1985 / Shawwal 1, 1405
Iskenderpasha Mosque-- Istanbul, Turkey